Cranberry Orange Vanilla Christmas Cake

The idea was a citrus cranberry Christmas cake.

The mission was accomplished.

However, the process was a bit messy.

If you're a seasoned baker, you know, there is a certain time frame to which we must adhere after removing the cake pans from the oven and then inverting to release from the cake pan. With proper timing (about 15 minutes), the cake releases beautifully. However, if you're in a time crunch to leave the house and must leave the cakes in the pan for several hours (this was my situation on the baking day), the cake does NOT release easily. In fact, my two layers became crumb cakes.

Brian said to me, "You're going to have to make a pile of crumbs." 

I was not going to accept this fate.

Thus, the cake crumbs are sealed together with gorgeous frosting, buttercream glue, and a filling of homemade cranberry sauce and clementine-apricot preserves.

After several hours in the fridge, a full layer of buttercream sealed the deal.

The decor consists of candied cranberries, clementines, and rosemary.

The cake, thus, is a WINNER!

Tonight, after delivery, I'm getting messages every few minutes: 

"This is the best cake ever."

"It's so fresh and fully intense with citrus fruit."

"It's so good!"

This makes me happy. I live to please.

If that's you, or you just want to eat a delicious, citrus cranberry cake, it's time you tackle this adventure. And, if you release the cake from the pan at the correct time, you may not need so much icing glue!

Cranberry Orange Vanilla Christmas Cake

Vanilla Cake:
2 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 ¼ tsps. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line bottom with parchment paper.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla; mix by hand or beat with an electric mixer on low speed until cake batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert cake carefully onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely.

Cranberry Orange Filling:
8 oz. Clementine Apricot Preserves
8 oz. Homemade Cranberry Sauce*

Mix together the two ingredients.

Vanilla Buttercream:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Kerrygold butter
1 cup shortening
¼ cup powdered milk
1 Tbs. vanilla powder

Combine the butter, shortening, powdered milk, and vanilla in the bowl of stand mixer. Mix on high until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, until thick and fully combined.

Double the recipe if you need to “GLUE” your cake together from releasing from the cake pan too late.

Candied Cranberries, Clementines, and Rosemary:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 clementine, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar

In a medium bowl, combine the cranberries, clementine slices, rosemary, and maple syrup. Toss until fully coated.
Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to sit in an oven (off) overnight.
Using a slotted spoon to drain the maple syrup, transfer to a bowl filled with white sugar.
Toss well.
Lay out on another parchment or foiled lined baking sheet and “bake” at 200°F for several hours.

*Homemade Cranberry Sauce:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup water
½ tsp. agar powder
1 anise seed star

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the cranberries break down and the mixture has been reduced.
Remove from heat and let sit to thicken for 30 minutes.

Transfer to an airtight container, disposing of the anise pod. Refrigerate for several days before use.

Assembly:
IF you’re not needing to glue the layers together, top on layer with the fruit preserves spread and top with the second layer. 

IF you’re gluing with frosting, press the crumb cake into a springform pan with the bottom being a cardboard cake plate. Slather with ¼ of the buttercream (doubled). Top with the fruit preserves mix.
Next, press in the second layer of crumb cake and slather with another ¼ amount of butter cream.

Chill in the fridge for several hours.

Next, generously frost the entire cake (after releasing from quick release pan, if that was your option). Slather, slather, slather. You can even use a textured icing tool to create a design on the sides of the cake.

Top with the sugared fruit and rosemary.

Chill for several hours before slicing and serving your holiday cake.

Winner, winner. 

It’s the best! Is your mouth watering yet?